preview

Buddy Hield Biography

Decent Essays
Open Document

OKLAHOMA CITY--Buddy Hield scored 19 points in the final eight minutes to stave off a furious Virginia Commonwealth's rally.

The second-seeded Sooners (27-7) used a 36-point performance from the senior guard to defeat the 10th-seeded Rams 85-81 on Sunday afternoon to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.

The 36 points were Hield's third-highest scoring total of the season. It was his 13th career 30-plus-point game, tying Michael Beasley for most in Big 12 history.

"This is the big stage,'' Hield said. "It's win or go home. It's my senior year. NCAA tournament. Everybody is watching. You don't get these moments very often, so you go out there, you've got to bring it."

Jordan Woodard scored 17 points and Isaiah Cousins had 15 for Oklahoma.

Melvin Johnson scored 23 points for …show more content…

(Photo Credit: Tom Pennington- Getty Images)
Hield hit a 3-pointer that gave Oklahoma a 69-67 lead with 6:37 left. Moments later Woodard and Kadeem Lattin hooked up on a spectacular play that put Oklahoma in front by six.

Gilmore made a layup to pull the Rams within three with 15 seconds left but Hield sank two free throws to seal the victory.

"Today we ran into a great team," VCU coach Will Wade said. "Unbelievable performance by Hield there down the stretch. Every time they needed a big basket, he answered the bell. He's just a phenomenal player. Best player I've seen in college basketball. So I'm proud of our guys. We just didn't quite have enough."

Hield went scoreless for the first 10 minutes of action as he missed his first four shots. But the Sooners had others step up and take command. Woodard game Oklahoma a 21-7 lead when he drained one from beyond the arc.

The Rams reached the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive year, one of eight schools in the country with a streak of that length.

VCU shot 45.5 percent from the floor and made 11-of-31 from beyond the

Get Access
Related
Get Access